On Tuesday, some parliamentarians may have been surprised when the Commons were summoned to the Lords not by Black Rod but by his deputy, the Yeoman Usher, Colonel E. Lloyd-Jukes. The reason was that Black Rod was taken seriously ill at the beginning of the week and his deputy had to stand in at the…
To read the media, it is clear that the coalition agreement as it affects the House of Lords has lost something in translation. The agreed document proposes a committee to propose draft motions (on Lords reform) by December of this year. It goes on “It is likely that this bill will advocate single long terms…
The media keep reporting that the coalition government enjoys a majority in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords. I am not sure what figures they are using! The combined strength of Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers is just under 260 in a House with just over 700 members. There are 211…
Just as Lords of the Blog has become active again, so too has the Palace of Westminster. The new MPs are starting to find their way around what, for some, is completely unfamiliar territory. The first floor of Portcullis House has been given over to providing help and training to new Members. As a result,…
For this week’s quiz, I thought I would follow the format of last week’s. It does not require an exhaustive knowledge of peers and may draw on observation. As usual, the first two readers to supply correct answers will be the winners. 1. The space behind the Clerks’ chairs is used for peers who are…
